Monday Bolts – Gold Edition

FanHouse talked with Scott Brooks yesterday: “Q: Did you have any hesitation at all as far as allowing these guys to participate? Any worry about the grind or injury risks? A: No reservations at all. I love the fact that these guys wanted to do it, and they wanted to do it with all their hearts. It’s a great honor to represent your country, and I never worry about players getting hurt. If they want to become great players, they’ve got to put in a lot of time on the court. And if you don’t, you don’t get better. They’re either going to play a lot of basketball in Turkey or they’re going to play a lot of basketball in Oklahoma City or wherever they’re playing in the states. These guys are gym rats. They play twice a day, and they’re not going to change their ways. And I don’t want them to. That’s how we’ve improved as a team is these guys coming back better players every year.”

Jack McCallum of SI: “Besides Durant, the other U.S. player to make a quantum leap in this tournament was Westbrook. I wrote previously that Krzyzewski called him “one of the elite athletes in the world,” which can sometimes be a veiled criticism, i.e., that he’s all talent, no fundamentals. Not the case with Westbrook, who, besides Durant, was the only one who looked comfortable attacking zones throughout the tournament. The possibility exists that, as time goes on, he and Rose will have a Chris Paul-Deron Williams kind of rivalry going on. But right now? I’d have to pick Westbrook … and I love Rose’s game, his uncertain outside touch notwithstanding. Pencil Westbrook in for the 2012 Olympic team, by the way, since Colangelo, who never sits back on personnel selection, singled the Oklahoma City Thunder guard out for praise after the game. “For a young player with his skill level, what he’s going to be in the future is unbelievable,” said Colangelo.”

Chris Tomasson’s report from Turkey: “[Durant’s] only 21 years old, and he’s got the whole package,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said of Durant, an easy choice for Worlds Most Valuable Player. “Just think what lies ahead for Kevin Durant. He’s got this (Colangelo points to his head) and this (points to his heart). He’s got great talent. He’s just an amazing guy. I love him.”

Adrian Wojnarowski: “Whatever. Durant should be wiser, understand the self-promoting agenda of a college coach and leave this sophomoric motivation at Turkish customs. This won’t work for Durant now. He was expected to win this gold medal, and he did. That’s the burden of greatness, and he rose to it. He’s no underdog anymore. He’s an Alpha Dog. He’s such a nice kid, and everyone wants a part of him. They crushed close, hung on his arms and convinced him to lean into them for photos. At the end, this was some scene. FIBA couldn’t control its credentialed people from mauling its MVP, and Krzyzewski couldn’t simply say that he had Kevin Durant while most of the world’s best players stayed home and that, together, they completed the responsibilities expected of them. Kevin Durantneeded to get on the plane, get out of here, and remember come playoff time that he’s now armed with a championship that belongs to him. His genius, his work. No underdog anymore. He’s Alpha, all the way.”

If you missed Thunderground Radio’s live show from yesterday, here’s the replay: “We talked with Royce about Durant, Nick of SLAM Online about the FIBA Championship, and YOU about all things NBA and international basketball related. We also took time to talk about the “all tournament” team as well as our expectations for the Thunder this next season. Take a listen if you didn’t catch it LIVE, subscribe, and check back next Sunday when we start our Division Rival breakdown.”

Berry Tramel: “Durant’s game can get even better. It did, right before our eyes, in the worlds. Maybe in a few years, when Durant and his sidekick, Russell Westbrook, have 600, 700 NBA games on their legs, we won’t get so fired up about their adventures in international basketball. Maybe we’ll want them to spend the summers with their feet up. But now, both awaiting their 22nd birthdays, this kind of performance on this kind of stage can only be good for the Thunder.”

Rob Mahoney on KD: “Even if KD’s game is only getting better and better, it’s possible that this is the best it gets for Durant’s image. He’ll win some, he’ll lose some. He’ll fall short of some expectations and shatter others. Yet the longer Durant stays in the NBA, the more time the now-adoring public will have to pick him apart. Even the great ones have their flaws, and in case those flaws aren’t flammable enough on their own, the sports sphere is never short on gasoline.”

gotta love how much debate is going into the height of KD.... which is kinda irrelevant for his skill set at this point. and its not his height but his arm span which counts. still i have the biggest man crush on kd, westbrook and the thunder. it's riduculous

I'm up in Kansas City w/ my bro to see Chargers @ Chiefs and have only packed Thunderware. I'll be the guy with a Blue, home KD jersey on in sec.327 so look for me to stand out and represent, for OKC.GO USA!GO THUNDER!(go chiefs and fantasy football week 1 win!!!)

@JamesRobinson is a very extreme example. He was already close to 6 feet tall in junior high (meaning he likely started puberty on the early side) and then continued to add inches throughout college. A nearly 10 year span for puberty is probably a better indicator that he had a hormonal issue than anything.

I think the idea that kids "still have some growing to do" is a myth perpetrated by draft analysts. In 99% of cases, they are referring to adding weight (which is always possible). However, the wording is so loose (and as AC mentioned, players often have their measurements fudged over time) that it leads many listeners to believe a player may still grow taller, which is almost never the case.

Even those are weird sometimes... like the difference between Cole's height with and without shoes. I doubt he's been wearing platform sneakers. And if he has been, I'm surprised more players don't do the same.

I also take every listed measurement with a grain of salt. If its not written by a doctor (ie media guide), I could imagine at least 2 inches of fudging. If its written by a doctor I've even seen that fudged half an inch. The only measurements I believe fairly strongly are the draft and comine measurements.

@KeithI agree, and so many other players' heights are messed up/fudged/from their draft measurements anyway that its hard to know what to believe.

The most I can say is from personal experience I was a late bloomer, but ended up being 6'5" as a sophomore in high school. The 8 years since then I've only grown .75 inches, and I've been hoping. No one I knew in college grew more than .5 inches after coming in, and we got measured every fall.

Why is it that everyone is so quick to believe that players gained significant height this late? Puberty for most everyone ends between 15 and 18. Now sure, there are exceptions, but growing an entire inch at the age of 20 is extremely uncommon, moreso in men from African countries (where puberty period tends to begin and end earlier). Could he have gained an inch since he was drafted? Sure. Did he gain an inch in the last year? Highly unlikely.

Durant, at least, upon entering the league, was still 18. But even he is unlikely to have gained an entire inch. He was over 6'10" in shoes coming into the league, which makes it not that hard to seem eye-to-eye with 7 footers. Furthermore, he's incredibly thin, which makes him appear taller. The eye test isn't a great measurement with Durant due to his dimensions (including a seemingly disproportionately short neck).

@ACHere's one way we'll find out: have him stand next to Durant, who is listed as 6"9' but we all know that can't be true because of those pictures of him looking eye-to-eye at 7 footers. He's probably a legitimate 6"11' in shoes.

If he's gained an inch and a half and 25 pounds since last year I'm guessing we'll be able to tell when he trots out there in the preseason and/or I'm guessing the other guys will be talking about it. That's pretty significant.

DXL :@James Ibaka measured out at 6’10.25″ in shoes at Reebok Eurocamp in 2008. An inch and a half growth would be 6’11.75″, I just don’t buy it.Could he be 6’11″ in shoes? Maybe.He weighed 228 at Eurocamp in 2008. Could he weigh 253 now? Likely, considering his muscular physique at summer league.

If he was 6'10.25 in shoes then he was probably at least an inch shorter without shoes. That was in 08 so he could easily be 6'11 without shoes right now with those gains. I have no doubt that he got this info from this higher up source. The changes are supposedly both from last year. Not from 08. We'll find out soon enough.

I have to say that I came away even MORE impressed with Durant and Westbrook than I was before (if such a thing was even possible).

But, I also have a new-found respect for some others. I have always kinda liked Lamar Odom, and he really showed me that I wasn't imagining things. Iguadola also impressed. I love his tenacity and willingness to do the little things. He's a quality player.

I fell in love with Durant during this tournament; he seems like a great guy with great game. The Thunder are going to kill the league this season. Durant and Westbrook seemed absolutely fearless.Enjoy!

KD was stroking the 3's Saturday and Sunday, but I would have liked to seen him attack the heart of the zone more. He only got to the line once or twice in 39 minutes Sunday. Maybe he was just adjusting to the FIBA style. All in all, fantastic performace by him though.

I doubt it would be enough to sway someone who wasn't already considering it. I think championship opportunities and winning will always come ahead of anything ancillary like FIBA, Olympics, PR, facilities, etc, at least as far as attracting new talent.

Take this for what it's worth. I have a buddy that lives in Rose Creek that had dinner with one of the Thunder big wigs a couple weeks ago and he was told that Ibaka grew another inch and a half over the summer (said he's now a legit 6'11) and added another 25 pounds to his frame.

So we now have 2 examples of Durant during his career, going off in playoff-like atmospheres: Big 12 conference tourney, World Championships, scoring over 30 points in games where no team usually scores more than 80. Once he adjusts to the league, he elevates to a level that few players can get to, and now he has down it along NBA players against some of the best teams in the world in international play where teams play a lot differently than in the NBA play and in one of the toughest arenas. Its just a matter of time before KD becomes Mr. Playoffs. MJ and Kobe, and at time Lebron, were/become unstoppable in the playoffs, KD was suffocated last year and yet we were a block out away from taking LA to 7 games. Imagine if KD shoots 50% FG, 45% 3FG for the series! Thats just a matter of time...........

I love how some writers are getting their fall from grace predictions out there early. And, as our discussion from a week or so ago pointed out, Durant will hit some professional and personal rough patches throughout his career. But I don't see anything in his character to suggest that he won't handle those as well as anyone and better than most.

USA was certainly among the favorites, so he's kind of right on that. But, if he's never seen KD get fired up in a game before, then he doesn't really know enough about KD to be writing about him. KD has a snarl when he gets hot, especially if the opposing crowd is getting after him and his team. And the salute, the chest thump, all that stuff is classic KD.